prisons

Surviving Solitary Confinement With the Help of Drugs

Of the 13 years I’ve spent incarcerated, 2020 was the worst. It was the year I lost hope in the…

November 30, 2022

Prison “K2”: The Hidden Center of a Chaotic New Drug War

Back when I was running with biker gangs, we used to play a game called Crash or Fly. Someone would…

November 28, 2022

Four States Close Prison Slavery Loopholes; Louisiana Votes Against

Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont have closed loopholes in their state constitutions that had allowed prisoners to be subjected to…

November 9, 2022

New York’s Infamous Rikers Island Could Become a Green Energy Hub

After New York City officials voted to permanently close the infamous Rikers Island jail complex, the question came up of…

November 3, 2022

“The Great Meltdown”: In Prisons, a Drug War Without Harm Reduction

Those of us incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections got used to the drones a while ago. They've been…

October 7, 2022

How Prison and Parole Can Pull You Into a Debt Trap

In her late 20s, Laura* sold an eighth of Vitablend to a person who turned out to be an undercover…

July 20, 2022

Why Allowing Only Prison-Issue Cell Phones Hurts Our Reentry Prospects

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is no longer allowing prisoners on work release to acquire their own cell phones.…

May 26, 2022

Tobacco Bans in Our Prisons Are Rich Pickings for Me—and the COs

The first time the Georgia Department of Corrections tried to go tobacco-free was 1994. In the mid-'90s it was trendy…

May 5, 2022

One Drug Dominates Our Prison’s Supply. We Don’t Know What It Is.

During the pandemic, the Michigan Department of Corrections suspended all Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, “substance abuse” classes and support groups, many…

April 27, 2022

CO Fentanyl Bill Would Fund—But Not Require—MOUD in County Jails

On April 13, the Colorado House Judiciary Committee approved a bill to re-impose felony penalties on fentanyl—and by extension, any…

April 14, 2022